


Every Great Journey Has Its Start

by janai



Series: Meta-Crisis Victorious: Every Great Journey has Its Start [1]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: A Tyler Slap, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt, F/M, Hatred Towards a Certain Time Lord, Heavy Angst, Introspection, Non-Graphic Smut, Regret, Revelations, Self-Hatred, Smut More or Less, True Love, some fluffy moments
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:07:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26867899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/janai/pseuds/janai
Summary: A revelation sends the Doctor off the deep end.
Relationships: Metacrisis Tenth Doctor & Rose Tyler
Series: Meta-Crisis Victorious: Every Great Journey has Its Start [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1973086
Comments: 5
Kudos: 12





	Every Great Journey Has Its Start

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, lots of tags with this multi-chapter story. Never posted so many tags before!  
> The title is from a t-shirt that I bought after my divorce....

The Doctor was lost in thought as he sat on the exam table in the bed bay of the TARDIS.His mind was hard at work over the emerging latent abilities and why it had taken three years in this parallel universe to start manifesting.

There was an ever-growing restlessness in his soul that was beckoning him away from his home and work. He wanted...no needed...to find out what was causing the changes within him. The tenuous ability to slow time, the visions, the hot flashes, the quick outbursts of anger and frustrations and crying at the drop of the proverbial hat. And the explosion two days ago in the middle of the night in the pond. He had slept for two days in a near coma after that event, his skin almost white with deep circles under his closed eyes. He had awakened to see Rose holding his hand, her bleary eyes and cheeks chafed red from so much crying: he had pulled her down into a fierce embrace and they both cried together.

After some desperately needed supper (the Doctor had wolfed down three ham and cheese sandwiches, a large bag of sour cream flavored crisps and 24 French Fancies), they went to the med bay and Rose assisted the Doctor in obtaining a full body scan. The results had left the Doctor as white as a sheet and Rose trying desperately not to cry. His lower lip had trembled as he looked at the walnut sized lump opposite side from his formerly single heart. That it weakly pulsed in tandem with the full sized organ left no doubt as to what it was.

His face then turned a sickly shade and he bolted off the exam table and ran to the loo; Rose could hear him retching up his supper and ran to his aid. What she found broke her resolve not to cry.

The Doctor was hunched over the toilet vomiting and sobbing at the same time. His body trembled violently from the shock he was in and his hands gripped the seat with bleached white knuckles. Rose quickly found a clean cloth and ran it under cold water; wringing it dry, she placed it upon his fevered neck.

"No, I can't do this, I don't want to do this! Its not fair....'m so happy with my life now!"

He gave another dry heave before pushing back and landing on his bum. Rose immediately pulled the cloth from his neck to wipe the vomit and drool from his face. As she did, she watched his face go from terrified to Oncoming Storm; he looked at her with wide, gold flecked eyes.

"Its His fault Rose! I will find him, I will track him down if its the last thing I do and I will rip him limb from limb!" he reached up to grab her forearms in a death grip.

Rose whimpered from the pain and tried to pull away; he relaxed his grip slightly at her movement and she let go of the breath she had been holding.

"I will not become this thing, I will fight it with every breath I take!"

Rose was frightened by the look of madness in her beloved husbands eyes. She noticed a bit of white froth on his lower lip as he looked away and up towards the ceiling.

"DO YOU HEAR ME TIME LORD?! I WILL FIND YOU AND I WILL CRUSH THE LIFE OUT OF YOUR CURSED BODY!" he roared as he shook his fist in the air.

THWACK!

The Doctor fell back against a wall with a thud from the force of the slap. His hand went to his burning cheek as he snapped out of his tirade and stared with wide eyes at his frightened wife. Rose had pushed herself backwards as well, away from the creature who had taken over her Doctor. He saw the terror in her eyes and his heart, no hearts, broke in agony.

"Rose," he whimpered, "I'm so sorry, so sorry...Gods!" He clenched both hands in his his hair as he shut his eyes at the horror of scaring her. "Please forgive me! I don't know what came over me!" He was sobbing again, his hands wrapped around his waist.

Rose stared at the Doctor in horror as she panted for breath. The slap had been an automatic reaction on her part: she wanted to stop his ranting, break his train of thought and bring him back down to reality. Fresh tears tears rolled down her face as she stared at the broken man in front of her. Without looking up, he raised a violently shaking hand and reached out to her in supplication. 

"Rose..." he whispered in a broken voice, "please forgive me....please....please....I love you so much.....please...." His eyes were still screwed shut and even his hair trembled.

Her heart broke at the agony in their bond and she heard the deep, unforgiving remorse in his voice. He finally dared to look up at her, the right side of his face bearing the imprint of her hand. The look of terror at what he had done was in his eyes along with another emotion....a deep loathing at himself. She knew his anger was not directed at her, she knew this with all her heart. Yet she was truly scared now, what was happening to her beloved man and what would happen next. She wondered if she would have the strength to support him as she had promised him. _No, I will be strong for 'm....I will..._

She reached out her own trembling hand to grasp his.....

_I love you..._

**Author's Note:**

> Oh, yes...cliffhanger, sorta.  
> Ouch! ('Cause I know you'll want to zen slap me).


End file.
